We have questions.
This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a hot-desking plan of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. Sign up here. Well, it’s almost here: the first presidential debate of the 2020 election. These things produce few memorable moments — Nixon’s sweating, Reagan’s “youth and inexperience,” Bush’s watch-checking, Gore’s sighing and Obama’s “Please proceed” just about exhaust the list — and decide few elections. Yet three-quarters of voters say they plan to watch tonight’s debate. Tens of them may even change their votes because of it. The heightened interest makes sense. This is an unusually heated and important election. And we’ve rarely seen President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden in the same room, much less directly confronting each other. Anything could happen! There could be flying earpieces, drug-test jokes or threats of violence. Hopefully such foolishness won’t get too much in the way of people learning things of actual substance. To that end, Bloomberg Opinion asked its stable of writers for questions they’d like to see asked in this debate. Sixteen responded with questions about everything from climate change to trade wars. Will any of them be answered tonight? It’s like a drinking game, but more responsible. Read the whole thing. Going back to the office in a pandemic, or even at the end of one, is bound to be harrowing. Here in New York, most of us are simply not doing it (and may be doing it even less very soon). In such circumstances, which office sounds more appealing: one forcing you to battle your colleagues every day for limited “hot” desk space, or one offering a roomy work area dedicated just to you, maybe with a nice little cactus? Because he is a normal human, Chris Hughes imagines you’ll choose the second option. Some businesses, looking to cut corners post-pandemic, are opting for the first. They may soon find their personnel costs exceed their real-estate costs, as their employees leave in droves for better accommodations, Chris writes.
